As part of the US X-Men The new era of franchising, Wonder is releasing an amazing reimagining of the mutant-hunting Sentinels, and in the process, exploring the tragic consequences of the publisher’s many crossover comic book events. The new generation of Sentinels are More than just human – they are all, in some way or another, casualties of the biggest battles of the Marvel Universe.
Author Alex Pacnadel Spoke with AIPT for X-Men Monday About the imminent release of Sentinels #1 – written by Paknadel, with art by Justin Mason – and shared a fascinating insight into the origins of the limited series’ main character.
Each of the human-Sentinel hybrids who star in the new series have, in some way or another, been collateral victims of conflicts between superpowered beings, with each having a relationship with a different major Marvel event. More than directly providing a connection between the characters and readers, this offers a dynamic look at the larger Marvel world.
Marvel’s new Human Sentinels are survivors of massive events like “World War Hulk,” “King in Black” and more
Sentinels #1 – Written by Alex Pacnadel; Art by Justin Mason; Available October 9 from Marvel Comics
Traditionally in X-Men Sentinels are massive robots designed with the express purpose of killing mutants. There have been many variations on this formula over the years, but Alex Pacnadel’s new take on the anti-mutant machines literally humanizes them, though not necessarily making them heroic. As the author tells AIPT:
My “in” to the piece was to try to think of the Sentinel team as victims themselves. They had been experimented on, patched up, anesthetized and monitored from the moment the sentinel nanotech was administered to them by Lawrence Trask. I don’t expect anyone to condone their activities, of course—I know I don’t—but I hope readers find them compelling and complex in their own right.
As intriguing of a reinterpretation of the Sentinels as it is, the new series takes things a step further by tying the backstories of its new characters into some of the most pivotal stories in Marvel Comics history.
As Paknadel explained:
In terms of the prominence of the crossover events in the backstories of our protagonists, I wanted them all to be collateral damage from metahuman events.
Descriptions of the characters, released in advance of the debut issue of SentinelsOffer more details about what crossover events they are connected to. Each of the sentinels in turn bears the scars of Marvel events like 2020’s “King in Black” crossover, 2007’s “World War Hulk,” and even the X– Franchise original “Onslaught” saga From the 1990s. This is a dramatic way to insert Sentinels‘ Protagonists in Marvel lore, in order the ethically and emotionally complex image promised by Alex Pacnadel.
The new series “Sentinels” explores the human cost of superhuman conflict
Marvel history gets personal
According to Alex Pacnadel, fully interrogating the tragic consequences of major superhero battles on Marvel’s baseline human population would require its own story, so Readers should not expect this to drive the plot of SentinelsBut rather to undergird it thematically. The author wrote:
None of it is tackled, because a whole other book would be required to do it justice, but I wanted to convey a sense that these are all little people who have been ground up and spit out through a terrifying world of gods and monsters. .
In other words, the “average” person in the Marvel Universe is lost in the shuffle of the epic, sweeping actions of the world’s great heroes and villains – and this series is no exception, but it seeks to confirm this.
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The capital letters of SentinelsOf course, are no longer normal, or average, in any sense of the word, but rather have been thrust into exactly the kind of conflict that tragically impacted all of their lives in one way or another. It’s another story of heroes inadvertently creating a new generation of adversaries, but one that carries with it the weight of its newly superpowered characters’ origins as bystanders in battles that have nothing to do with them, but nonetheless took a Great toll on their lives.
Sentinels #1 – Main Cover by Justin Mason; Variant covers by Chris Campana, Nick Bradshaw, Jeremy Wilson and more
The premise of Sentinels Finds its characters elevated to the level of superhuman, each led to this point in one way or another by the trauma they sustained as a result of the actions of mutants, or metahumans. The decision to call classic Marvel crossover stories in the tragic origins of the character is admirable, from a creative point of view, because it forces both the creative team of the book, and its readers, to evaluate their understanding of superheroes, in the same way Indie Series II The boys Or Robert Kirkman Invincible Do.
How Marvel reinvented the X-Men Franchise’s classic Sentinels, fans will have to filter this new generation of mutant-hunters’ actions through the lens of what they have endured.
It is An often unacknowledged human price for the superhuman tribulations and tribulations that make up the heart of Marvel stories, and the characters in Sentinels Reflect on that – Give them an instant connection with readers, which will be important for the series, which seems like it’s going to go to some dark places before it’s all over. like Wonder Reinvent the X-Men Franchise’s classic Sentinels, fans will have to filter this new generation of mutant-hunters’ actions through the lens of what they have endured.
Source: AIPT, X-Men Monday #269
Sentinels #1 Will be available October 9, 2024 from Marvel Comics.